[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 131 (Wednesday, August 2, 2017)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4774-S4775]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Ms. COLLINS (for herself, Mr. Coons, Mr. Moran, Mrs. Shaheen, 
        Mr. Rubio, Mr. Blumenthal, Mr. Enzi, Mr. Isakson, Mr. Durbin, 
        and Mr. Murphy):
  S. 1730. A bill to implement policies to end preventable maternal, 
newborn, and child deaths globally; to the Committee on Foreign 
Relations.
  Ms. COLLINS. Mr. President, today I am pleased to be joined by my 
friend and colleague from Delaware, Senator Chris Coons, in introducing 
the Reach Every Mother and Child Act of 2017. Our legislation would 
make it the policy of the United States to lead an effort to end 
preventable deaths of mothers, newborns, and young children in the 
developing world by 2030.
  Due in part to American leadership and generosity, many lives have 
already been saved. Since 1990, the annual number of deaths of children 
under the age of five has been cut in half. Nevertheless, far too many 
mothers, newborns, and young children under the age of five still 
succumb to disease and malnutrition that could easily be prevented, if 
only we could reach the mothers and children with simple, proven, cost-
effective interventions that we know will help them survive.
  Every day approximately 800 women will die from preventable causes 
related to pregnancy and childbirth. In addition, more than 16,000 
children under the age of five will die each day of treatable 
conditions such as prematurity, pneumonia, and diarrhea--with 
malnutrition being the underlying cause in nearly half those deaths.
  According to USAID, a concentrated effort could end preventable 
maternal and child deaths worldwide by the year 2030; however, U.S. 
leadership and support of the international community are critical to 
success.
  To achieve this ambitious goal, our bill would require the 
implementation of a strategy to scale up the most effective 
interventions to save as many lives as possible. This idea is central 
to our bill. We do not have to guess at what interventions will work--
the reality is that more than 16,000 children under 5 years old die 
each day of conditions we know today how to treat.
  These life-saving interventions include clean birthing practices, 
vaccines, nutritional supplements, hand-washing with soap, and other 
basic needs that remain elusive for far too many women and children in 
developing countries. This must change.
  In addition, our bill would establish a Maternal and Child Survival 
Coordinator at USAID who would focus on implementing the ten-year 
strategy and verifying that the most effective interventions are being 
scaled up in target countries.
  The bill would also establish an interagency working group to assist 
the Coordinator in promoting greater collaboration among all the 
federal agencies involved in this effort.
  To promote transparency and greater accountability, our bill requires 
that detailed reporting be published on the Foreign Assistance 
Dashboard, where it can be assessed by the public, Congress, and non-
governmental organizations to track the implementation of the strategy 
and the progress being made.
  Finally, our bill would encourage USAID to pay for successful 
programs run by non-governmental entities. The message we want to send 
to all our partners in the private sector, the non-profit sector, the 
faith community, and in local and international civil society groups is 
this: if you can figure out a way to increase the likelihood that 
mothers and their children will survive childbirth and the first five 
years of life, we want to reward you for your contribution.
  Improving the health and well-being of mothers and children around 
the world has far-reaching social and economic benefits as well. An 
independent group of economists and global health experts from around 
the world, known as the Lancet Commission, found that for every $1 
invested in health initiatives in the developing world, there is a 
return of $9 to $20 in growing the gross domestic product of the 
country receiving the investment.
  Other bipartisan initiatives, such as the successful President's 
Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, or PEPFAR, which was started by 
President George W. Bush, demonstrate that results-driven interventions 
can turn the tide for global health challenges. Applying lessons 
learned from past initiatives, our bill would provide the focus and the 
tools necessary to accelerate progress toward ending preventable 
maternal and child deaths.
  I urge my colleagues to join Senator Coons and me in supporting this 
bill to save the lives of mothers and children around the world.

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